JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – UNC Greensboro junior Katie Stripling hit a two-out, pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh to send the Spartans' first game at the Jacksonville University Tournament on Sunday to extras, but Virginia Tech scored six runs in the top of the 10th to take an 8-2 win. The host Dolphins topped UNCG 10-2 in 6 innings in the nightcap.
With UNCG (1-3) trailing 1-0 to the Hokies (3-1) in the seventh and down to its last out, Stripling hit for nine-hole hitter Laura Olenderski and belted her second career home run out to left to keep the Spartans alive.
Virginia Tech got the run back in the top half of the eighth, with Kristin Graham singling up the middle to score pinch-runner Sarah Ashby, who was placed on second via the international tiebreaker rule to lead off the inning.
The Spartans answered with a run in the bottom half to again prolong the game, as Brittany Ausley scored from third on a Virginia Tech error. UNCG would leave runners on second and third, however, as Hokie reliever Kenzie Roark got a strikeout to end the inning.
UNCG starter Amber Harrell (0-2) put the side down in order in the top of the ninth, and UNCG seemed to be in business in the bottom half. Eileen Horsmon was placed on second and Emily Akiyama was walked to set up the force out at third. Whitney Sirois sacrificed both runners over, and Olenderski was intentionally walked to load the boases. Roark worked out of trouble, however, inducing a fielder's choice off the bat of Ausley to gun down Horsmon at home and a grounder from Jordan Jewett to end the inning and leave the bases full.
The Hokies would blow the game open in the top of the 10th, sending 11 batters to the plate. Misty Hall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to knock in Richelle McGarva with what would prove to be the winning run, and Graham followed with a two-run single up the middle. Pinch-hitter Marra Hvozdovic added a two-run single to center to make it 7-2 and Whitney Davis singled to right to score Cruz.
Jewett nailed Hvozdovic at the plate to prevent another run from scoring on Davis' single. It was Jewett's second outfield assist on the afternoon, as she also gunned down Bkaye Smith at the plate in the fifth.
Roark (1-1) retired UNCG in order in the bottom half of the inning to nail down her first win of the season. Graham got the no-decision despite 5.1 solid innings of work. She allowed just four hits and two walks, striking out four before giving way to Roark in the sixth.
Harrell surrendered eight runs – five earned – on eight hits and six walks. She went 10 innings, the most for a UNCG pitcher since Danielle Byrne went a school-record 12 against Furman on March 28, 2004.
Harrell battled some wildness throughout her 10 innings, as she had two wild pitches and hit a school-record four batters in addition to her six walks. She also struck out seven.
The Hokies scored an unearned in the third inning, when Davis scored on a UNCG error. The Spartans had five miscues in the game.
Emeterio had two of UNCG's six hits, going 2-for-5 in the game.
Smith, Davis and Graham had two hits each for the Hokies.
In game two, the Dolphins (3-0) exploded for four runs in the first and knocked UNCG starter Cory Mattson (0-1) out of the game in the second en route to the big win.
Kayla Ouellet singled, stole second and scored on a wild pitch all before an out had been recorded, and after a walk to Katie Kelly, Amanda Schmidt hit the first of her two home runs in the contest. JU would add another run on a UNCG error later in the inning.
The Dolphins tacked on two more in the second. Ashley Mora's double put runners on the corner with one out to knock Mattson out of the game, but reliever Raeanne Hanks didn't fare much better, allowing Schmidt and Mora to score on wild pitches.
The Spartans finally got on the board in the third inning, scoring a pair of two-out runs. Jewett got the rally started with an infield single, and Emeterio brought her in with a triple down the left field line. A Merkt single scored Emeterio before JU starter Olivia Kline got a strikeout to end the inning.
Jacksonville would add two more runs in the fourth on Kline's two-run single and two in the sixth on Schmidt's second two-run homer of the game.
UNCG had one last chance to avoid the mercy rule, and seemed to have a rally going in the bottom half of the frame. Merkt drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a JU error on Kayla Hensley's fielder's choice. Freshman Chelsea D'Ambrosio followed with a single to center to load the bases, but Kline induced a fly to right from Ally Johnson and Merkt was nailed at home on a throw from Dolphin right fielder Kelly McKeon. Kline struck out Stripling to end the game.
Five different players accounted for UNCG's five hits against the Dolphins. Mattson was charged with six runs, five of them earned, on four hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. Hanks allowed four runs – three earned – on five hits and two walks in 4.2 innings.
Kline (1-0) picked up her first win of the season, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in 6 innings. She struck out eight.
Schmidt finished 2-for-4 with four runs and four RBI. Kline was 3-for-4 with two RBI.
UNCG returns to action Friday at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. There, the Spartans will meet Delaware on Friday at 11 a.m., St. Joseph's and host North Carolina on Saturday and will play in either the consolation or championship game Sunday.
AGATE
Virginia Tech 8, UNC Greensboro 2 (Feb 14, 2010 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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Virginia Tech....... 001 000 010 6 - 8 8 2 (3-1)
UNC Greensboro...... 000 000 110 0 - 2 6 5 (1-2)
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Pitchers: Virginia Tech - Kristin Graham; Kenzie Roark(6) and Courtney Liddle. UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell and Whitney Sirois.
Win-Kenzie Roark(1-1) Loss-Amber Harrell(0-2) T-2:58 A-343
HR UNCG - Katie Stripling.
Jacksonville 10, UNC Greensboro 2 (Feb 14, 2010 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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Jacksonville........ 420 202 - 10 9 1 (3-0)
UNC Greensboro...... 002 000 - 2 5 2 (1-3)
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Pitchers: Jacksonville - Olivia Kline and Sarah Simon. UNC Greensboro - Cory Mattson; Raeanne Hanks(2) and Katie Stripling.
Win-Olivia Kline(1-0) Loss-Cory Mattson(0-1) T-1:58 A-444
HR JU - Amanda Schmidt 2 (2).
- UNCG -
